Hydatidiform Mole

Anyone who had such an experienced with it? What causes it?

Almost every married couple wants to have a child to add color, joy and laughter in their home. And when we say almost, it means not all because some decided not to have any baby at all. Nevertheless, how about a 19 year old college student who got pregnant, how would she feel with a positive pregnancy test?

I can tell you it feels scary. Scared of how will your parents, especially your father would treat you if ever they will know about your pregnancy. Thoughts are jumbled that almost all pregnant teenagers resort to abortion. And some remain strong to keep the pregnancy and face the consequences. Luckily, I chose the latter though I feel broken and devastated because of my dreams that'll never come to life..

However, thinking of my father's possible reaction, I ran away from home surreptitiously.

From time to time, there was little blood stains on my underwear which I just shrugged off.

3 months later, at dawn I felt pain on my belly. I've thought it's normal not until I saw blood spots on my undies that later soaked it and my pajamas. Not long when I started bleeding. There were clots of blood the shape and size of grapes coming out. I was then alarmed and scared. My live in partner, now my husband woke up and prepared some clean clothes and packed it in a bag. Pallor and weakness took over my body plus the pain am in.

Since it's dawn, there were little taxis passing by and whenever there was it has a passenger. At 5am, my partner was able to hail a taxi with no passenger. Luckily our boarding house was just 20 steps up from the highway that the taxi driver patiently waited for us to come down.

The taxi was immediately met by medical team upon arriving at the hospital infront of the emergency . Thankfully, I was placed on the stretcher right away and brought to a room where they took off everything including watch and necklace and changed it into a hospital suit. My vital signs were taken wherein my blood pressure dropped. Some apparatuses connected to a machine was attached on my chest. And a dextrose was inserted on my left hand.

After all the primary actions and evalutions, I was brought to the Ultrasound room which they did another rounds of the same question they asked at the first room I was brought in to.Moments later I was brought to another room which I realized was the labor room. A doctor clad on her white suit then came, asked some questions then said to put me to sleep to be able to perform a D&C (Dilatation and Curettage). After injecting a general anesthesia on the IV line, I suddenly felt my eyelids became heavy.

I regained consciousness on the recovery room after hours wearing an adult diapers and my hospital clothes changed.

I then transferred to an OB ward by a staff where my partner was waiting for me with worrisome expression on his face.

The doctor who performed a D&C happened to be from the same municipality as mine came to check on me. She patiently explained what I have carried. It was a molar pregnancy- hydatidiform mole.

Hydatidiform mole is a gestational trophoblastic disease. A group of disorders which develop from cells called trophoblast that surround a developing embryo and eventually form the placenta and amniotic sac. The affected cells grow abnormally and multiply quickly.

A woman with H-mole feels like she's pregnant as the symptoms feel the same. A pregnancy test kit proves a positive result because of HCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin) which is present in urine during pregnancy. But a prenatal check-up detects no fetal movement and absence of fetal heartbeat. Severe nausea and vomiting or none, luckily, I experienced little. Larger or smaller abdominal size than normal pregnancy. But mine was the latter. However, most often women with h-mole have larger abdomen due to the rapid growth of the tissues in the uterus.

H-mole is caused by an abnormally fertilized oocyte that instead of a fetus develops into small cysts resembling grape-like features. When small parts of the cells begin to deteriorate, small bunch of these grape-like tissues pass through the vagina just like what I have experienced.

But did you know that h-mole can also develop after a full-term pregnancy? Yes, it could. Some other causes of H-mole are due to cells that remain in the uterus after a miscarriage. That's why it is advisable to consult a gynecologist after one experienced a miscarriage because some women don't tend to do so. A mislocated pregnancy like that of a tubular or ectopic pregnancy is also one that can caused it.

There are two types of this kind of pregnancy; partial and complete molar pregnancy.

Partial molar pregnancy means there is an abnormal placenta and fetal development while complete molar pregnancy means abnormal placenta and no fetal development. The latter one is what I had.

Since H-mole is a GTD, it's 80% non-cancerous. Nevertheless, 2 to 3% can develop into an invasive tumor like choriocarcinoma which usually is cancerous. That's why tests are performed after the removal of the h-mole to eliminate complications.

The following day during the doctor's rounds, she presented to me the result of my blood test for beta HCG level which revealed a very high level which I can remember was at 7000 mIU/ml. She also showed me the ultrasound result wherein you can see those small cysts. She told me that a sample of the tissues extracted during the D&C was sent for biopsy.

Luckily, it was not cancerous.

Three days of hospital stay and being stable I was discharged. Nevertheless, my doctor advised me to undergo blood tests for beta-HCG level until it will be back to normal. The first test was done five days after I was discharged. It was very expensive which costs php2000 or $40. Subsequent tests were done every two weeks which took four sessions all in all.

The kind doctor also told me to take contraceptive pills on the onset of my first menstruation. The rationale is to not get pregnant for a year to prevent developing the same case and to make sure treatment is successful .

The first laboratory exam, revealed an impressive result, so does the succeeding lab tests which the last proved a normal level.

Additionally, if blood test for beta HCG level reveals that results does not return to normal then further examination is done to determine if a choriocarcinoma has developed and spread.

I was also advised to go through ultrasonography early as soon as I will learn that I'm pregnant to determine a normal pregnancy.

Women who had hydatiform mole pregnancy can have children on later years normally.

However, 1% of women who had h-mole could likely to have another one that's why early ultrasound on subsequent pregnancies is advisable.

Two years later, I got pregnant with my firstborn and just like the doctor advised, I had to have ultrasound on the 6th week of gestation. I also did on my my second and third pregnancy. Thankfully, it all goes well..

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